Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Plant discharged untreated wastewater, causing the marine life disaster in central Việt Nam in 2016. Four years after the incident, a project of building marine environmental monitoring and warning systems is still delayed. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HÀ TĨNH — Four central coastal provinces of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên Huế have asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to postpone the construction of marine environmental monitoring and warning systems by 2021, citing a lack of budget.

Following the marine life disaster caused by Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Hà Tĩnh Steel Plant which led to massive fish death and severe water pollution in the four central provinces back in April 2016, the Government in September 2017 approved a project that would see the construction of marine environmental monitoring systems during 2017 to 2019, with a total investment of VNĐ200 billion (US$8.6 million) allocated from Formosa’s $500 million compensation package.

However, all four provinces have not completed the project due to slow capital reimbursement from the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Võ Tuấn Nhân, deputy minister of environment, told Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper that the delay was also due to behind-schedule land clearance and technical changes.

According to the initial plan, the project comprises five components including the construction of marine environmental monitoring and warning systems in four impacted provinces and six air quality tracking stations. — VNS